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CAF announces AFCON venue switches

Two quarter-final ties in the Africa Cup of Nations have been relocated to Bata and Malabo, tournament organisers have confirmed.

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Written ByPeter Hanson

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All Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final ties will take place in
Bata and Malabo after tournament officials confirmed two venue
switches on Tuesday.

Originally the last-eight showdown between Tunisia and hosts
Equatorial Guinea was scheduled to take place in Ebebiyin on
Saturday.

However, that encounter will now take place in Bata after the
Confederation of African Football's (CAF) Executive Committee
stated that the pitch in Ebebiyin - which had only been laid
recently - has been affected by hosting group stage games and
adverse weather conditions.

Similar problems occurred in Mongomo where a quarter-final match
was originally slated to take place on Sunday, but that will now be
held in the capital Malabo.

"Initially, quarter-final match 26 was scheduled in Ebebiyin on
January 31, this match will now be played in Bata stadium the same
day.

"Similarly, the quarter-final match 27 that was scheduled in
Mongomo on February 1 will be played in Malabo stadium the same
day.

"The newly installed pitches in Ebebiyin and Mongomo have been
very satisfactory, allowing free-flowing play during the group
stages, and this despite having been installed only about one month
ago.

"However, these two pitches have been adversely affected by a
combination of wear and tear from the six games played or to be
played in each of them and the unstable weather conditions seen
lately.

"Consequently, the CAF Executive Committee feels that the eight
teams qualified for the quarter-final stages onwards should be
given the opportunity to play on grounds that provide the highest
standards, specifically those of Bata and Malabo, to ensure the
quality of play remains at the highest possible level."

Bata Stadium now hosts the quarter-final ties between Congo and
the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tunisia and Equatorial Guinea
back-to-back on Saturday.

Estadio De Malabo also has consecutive matches on Sunday, with
the winners of Group C playing the runners-up of Group D and
vice-versa.